TaylorBarrett, 19,of York, S.C., won her spot in this championship with a birdie on the third playoff in sectional qualifying in Lexington, N.C.

Mary Kate Bird, 18, of Kansas City, Mo., will be a freshman at the University of Nebraska. Her main interests are history and politics, specifically public policy, diplomacy and foreign affairs.

MalloryBlackwelder, 20, of Versailles, Ken., is from a well-known golf family. Her mother, Myra Blackwelder, was a fine competitor on the LPGA tour and is the new women’s golf coach at the University of Kentucky. Her father, Worth Blackwelder, now caddies for two-time U.S. Women’s Open champion and three-time Women’s Amateur champion Juli Inkster.

LynneCowan, 44, of Davis, Calif., is the assistant golf coach of the University of California-Davis.

CarolynCreekmore of Dallas, Texas, is the oldest player in the field at 55 and raises horses. Creekmore won the 2004 USGA Senior Women’s Amateur.

Kaitlin Drolson, 17, of Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., was medalist at the Minnesota qualifying site at the same time as her younger sister won a bronze medal for volleyball in the Junior Olympics in the same state.

CourtneyEllenbogen, 16, of Blacksburg, Va., is the daughter of Bill Ellenbogen, who played for the New York Giants in the NFL. She qualified for the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open.

Virginia Derby Grimes, 43, of Meridian, Miss., was the oldest player on the victorious 2006 USA Curtis Cup team. Grimes won the 1998 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur and was the runner-up at the same event in 2004.

Mina Harigae, 17, the 2007 Women’s Amateur Public Links champion from Monterey, Calif., played with Tom Watson in the 2004 First Tee Open and with Tom Kite in 2005 and 2006. She is competing in her 16th USGA championship.

EmmaJandel, 19, of Dayton, Ohio, was 6 holes down with 13 to play in the final of the 2007 Ohio Women’s Amateur. She won the match with a birdie on the 37th hole.

EvanJensen, 17,of Beloleair, Fla., has a number of interests, including racquetball, watching collegiate football and basketball, and also caddies at Belleair Country Club on weekends.

Tiffany Joh, 20,of San Diego, Calif., when asked about possible stories of interest about herself, said, “While I cannot hit 1,500 golf balls a day like a typical Korean golfer, I have been known to eat at least that many Skittles in one sitting.” Joh won the 2006 U.S. Women’s Amateur Public Links.

SydneeMichaels, 19, of Temecula, Calif., is playing in her second Women’s Amateur. She advanced to the round of 16 in 2006 and qualified for both the 2006 and 2007 Women’s Open. She won the NCAA East Regionals as a freshman this year at UCLA. Michaels has played in three LPGA events.

KatieMiller, 22, of Jeannette, Pa., is a recent graduate of North Carolina. A two-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection in golf, she is a delegate to the 2008 Miss Pennsylvania USA Pageant. She also is interested in black and white photography.

RikakoMorita, 17, of Japan, finished second individually at the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship, which made her exempt from qualifying.

CalleNielson, 19, of Nashville, Tenn., locked herself in the bathroom on her first day of kindergarten. The fire department was called to get her out. She can finish the story: “That bathroom has a sign saying ‘Adults Only’ for the last 13 years because of me.”

ErinPacker, 28, of Tyrone, Ga., has great golf bloodlines. Her father, Allen Doyle, is a two-time Senior Open champion and a three-time USA Walker Cup team member. Packer’s sister, Michelle, will caddie for the practice rounds and her husband, Brandt, will carry during the championship. She is playing in her third Women’s Amateur.

Korean-born InahPark, 21, of Canada, eagled the fifth playoff hole at Bellingham (Wash.) Golf and Country Club in qualifying to grab the last of seven spots.

KristinaRothengatter, 23, of Irving, Texas, was born in Germany. She attends SMU and her most memorable sports event is ‘skiing with Tiger Woods.’

NicoleSchachner, 19, of Libertyville, lll., won the 2007 Illinois Women’s Open in a 10-hole playoff. She will be a sophomore at Florida. Her brother, Michael, plays college golf at Duke, and shot a 60 in the third round of the NCAAs this past June.

CandaceSchepperle, 19, of Hoover, Ala., was the low individual scorer at the 2005 USGA State Team Championship. A sophomore at Auburn, where she won 2007 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year honors, Schepperle was the medalist at the 2007 Women’s North and South Amateur at Pinehurst.

AnnaSchultz, 51, of Rockwall, Texas, is a two-time USGA runner-up – the 2006 Senior Women’s Amateur and the 2000 Women’s Mid-Amateur. In addition, she was a semifinalist at the 2001 Women’s Mid-Amateur. Both of her parents were born in Poland and both were interred in concentration camps during World War II. All three of her sons played or are playing college golf.

ThuhashiniSelvaratnam, 31, of Tempe, Ariz., is a native of Sri Lanka. She was runner-up at the 2006 Women’s Mid-Amateur. She is an assistant golf coach at Arizona State.

KatharinaSchallenberg, 27, of Germany, was the runner-up at the Women’s Amateur in 2006. She won the Spanish Ladies Amateur this year and competed for Germany at the 2006 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in South Africa.

JenniferSong, 17, of Korea, shared low-amateur honors at the 2007 U.S. Women’s Open. She holds dual citizenship. She lists standing next to Cristie Kerr at the post-round ceremony as her most memorable golf moment.

AllisynTerry, 40, of Leesburg, Va., is making her second appearance in the Women’s Amateur but her first since 1995. Since that first appearance, she has had three children: twin daughters and a son. She has played in the Women’s Mid-Amateur six times.

KathrynTewell, 22, of Greenwood, Ind., is playing in her first Women’s Amateur. She will be a fifth-year senior at Franklin (Ind.) College this fall. She won the 2006 Women’s Indiana Amateur and was runner-up in 2005. She won nine college events in 2007 and was the Division III National Player of the Year.

AlexisThompson, 12, of Coral Springs, Fla., was the youngest qualifier in the history of the U.S. Women’s Open in 2007. She advanced to the second round of match play at the 2007 Girls’ Junior. She won the 2007 PGA Junior/Westfield, becoming the youngest winner of that event. Her brother, Nicholas, plays on the Nationwide Tour and was a member of the 2005 USA Walker Cup team. Another brother, Curtis, qualified for the 2007 U.S. Junior Amateur.

JulieTomlinson, 23, of Hillsboro, Ore., made the most out of her first Women’s Amateur appearance at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club. She interviewed for a job with Nike Golf during last year’s event. Following major shoulder surgery (after the interview), she was offered the job and re-located to Oregon. She was unable to swing a club for five months and this is her first competitive event since the surgery.

Maria Jose Uribe, 17, of Colombia, is playing in her third Women’s Amateur and her ninth USGA championship. She was a quarterfinalist at Pumpkin Ridge in 2006 and will be a freshman at UCLA next month. She has qualified for the last two Women’s Opens and competed for Colombia at the 2007 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in South Africa.

TanyaWadhwa, 14, of McKinney, Texas, is playing in her first Women’s Amateur. Born in India, she was a quarterfinalist at the 2007 Girls’ Junior. She is also a black belt in Tae Kwon Do.

DawnWoodard, 32, of Franklin, Tenn., was the medalist at the 2006 Women’s Mid-Amateur. She is playing in her first Women’s Amateur. She is a stay-at-home mother with three daughters.

HISTORY:The U.S. Women’s Amateur is one of the United States Golf Association’s original three championships. It was first conducted in 1895, shortly after the inaugural U.S. Amateur and U.S. Open. The Women’s Amateur has since been conducted every year except 1917-18, when it was temporarily suspended because of World War I, and 1942-45, when it was suspended because of World War II.

PAR & YARDAGE: Yardage for the Crooked Stick Golf Club will be set at 6,595 yards, par 72.

ARCHITECT: Opened in 1964, the course was designed by Pete Dye. Crooked Stick is hosting its fifth USGA championship. It also hosted the 1991 PGA Championship, won by John Daly, and the 2005 Solheim Cup Matches.

COURSE SETUP
Fairways – Cut to ½ inch
Tees and collars of greens – Cut to 3/8 inch
Putting greens – Prepared to be firm and fast to measure approximately 10 ½ to 11 feet on the USGA Stimpmeter
Intermediate rough – Cut to 1 ½ inches, approximately 6 feet wide along fairways
Primary rough – Cut to 2 ½ to 3 inches
Player courtesy walks – Cut to 1 ½ inches, approximately 6 feet wide
The Championship setup will result in a new USGA Course Rating ™ of 78.8 and a Slope Rating ® of 143.

FORMAT: The Women’s Amateur is conducted with 36 holes of stroke-play qualifying. The low 64 scorers then advance to match play, with the champion determined by a 36-hole match-play final

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:

Monday, Aug. 6 – First round, stroke play (18 holes)

Tuesday, Aug. 7 – Second round, stroke play (18 holes). After conclusion of the 36 holes, the field will be cut to the low 64 scorers, who will advance to match play.